Mark Rey

Mark Rey has worked in forest policy in the public and private sector since 1974. He obtained a B.S. in Wildlife Management with distinction in 1973, a B.S.F. in Forestry, with distinction, in 1974 and an M.S. in Natural Resources Policy and Administration in 1975, all from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

From 1974 to1975 he worked as a Staff Assistant at the Bureau of Land Management on a variety of range, wildlife, recreation, and horse and burro management projects both in the Washington, DC and Billings, MT offices.

From 1976 through 1994, he worked in the private sector, in a variety of trade associations and consortiums representing the forest products industry. From 1976 to 1984 he worked for the American Paper Institute/National Forest Products Association, where he directed air and water quality programs for a consortium of national trade associations. In 1984 he became Vice President of Public Forestry Programs for the National Forest Products Association representing the forest products industry on matters associated with the National Forest System. He later supervised the start-up of the American Forest Resource Alliance a grass roots organization representing the forest products industry and non-industrial forest landowners. He went on to become Vice President of the Forest Resources Division, of the American Forest and Paper Association November 1992 – January 1994. The Forest Resources Division of AF&PA represented member forest products companies on all forest management issues before the federal government.

In 1995 Rey joined the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, as a Professional Staff Member, where he was the Lead Committee staff person for the Committee’s work on National Forest Policy, Forest Service administration, and a variety of public land issues. From 2001 to 2009 he served as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. In this position he oversaw the programs on the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Currently Rey serves as a consultant in public affairs practice in agriculture and natural resources and technology with The Livingston Group, Washington, D.C., and teaches as an Executive in Residence at the university level in natural resources policy at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.